Chapter 100: Chapter 17: Female Sorcerer Mutual Aid Association 3
"She is so beautiful," murmured Melissa, sitting beside him.
Van Helsing glanced briefly and then looked away, seemingly somewhat wary of Lady Inid.
Su Ziyu’s gaze also fell on Lady Inid. He had to admit, her features were incredibly delicate; he hadn’t seen many women with such refined features. Despite her petite and delicate appearance, she had a slender and long build with sleek dark golden hair cascading down, slender willow eyebrows, a small pointed nose, slightly thin lips, eyes that were calm yet sharp, a red mole at the center of her brow, a maple leaf-shaped pendant on her chest, three rings on her right hand in red, yellow, and green, and two rings on her left hand in green and purple.
Her presence inexplicably exerted a subtle pressure on those around her.
Lady Inid’s gaze swept through the crowd and quickly settled on Su Ziyu.
She slightly bent forward in a gesture of respect, her demeanor remarkably polite.
Afterward, she gracefully approached the head of the banquet table, raised her wine glass towards Su Ziyu and Van Helsing, and said, "Thank you, gentlemen, for your assistance!"
Su Ziyu and Van Helsing stood and raised their glasses in return.
During this period, he had learned quite a bit about Lady Inid. She was reputed to be one of the most powerful female Warlocks in the Southern Coast Region, capable of summoning a terrifying storm, and the only caster proficient in teleportation spell within the Female Sorcerer Mutual Aid Association. Her previous departure was to track down individuals rumored to travel through time, believed by the Mutual Aid Association to have brought the dreadful plague.
Upon Lady Inid’s appearance, the other female Warlocks promptly became much more reserved.
Su Ziyu essentially figured out that there were three factions within the Female Sorcerer Mutual Aid Association, with Lady Inid surely being the dominant force. Both Alice and Daisy were her followers; observing them closely would reveal slight differences in their features compared to others, hinting that they might possess a small portion of elf lineage.
The second group was a small faction led by Judy; they appeared to be of noble birth, possessing considerable wealth.
It’s likely that a significant portion of the funds for the Female Sorcerer Mutual Aid Association’s activities comes from them.
The last one was Elena, who had come to thank Su Ziyu. She was surrounded by several female Warlocks, likely from humble origins. As for the other female Warlocks, they seemed a bit immature, appearing to have little say, probably just newly awakened apprentices.
"Sisters."
Midway through the banquet, Lady Inid stood up and said, "You all should know why I left earlier."
"But sadly, I must tell you, I failed."
"I couldn’t find those who spread the plague; they seemed like a group of phantoms appearing out of thin air, utterly untraceable."
"Moreover."
"The secular nobles and the Church’s forces refuse to heed our explanation. They won’t cease their persecution of us. Too many of our sisters have fallen at their hands."
Lady Inid’s words caused the female Warlocks to fall into silence, many showing a hint of anxiety and unease in their expressions.
Previously, they hoped to find the source of the plague to clear the accusations against the Witches, but to Su Ziyu, this seemed somewhat naive. Even if they found those spreading the plague, how could the secular nobles and Church forces ever admit they had wronged these Witches? Wouldn’t that mean the tens of thousands of women harmed in the past were innocent?
That would deal a horrifying blow to their prestige!
"We have no choice," Lady Inid’s gaze brushed past Van Helsing and Su Ziyu, slowly saying, "We must leave here to seek a land where we can freely exist."
"I know some are reluctant to leave."
Lady Inid’s gaze fell on the three female Warlocks led by Judy, her expression stern as she said, "But staying here will be extremely, extremely dangerous!"
"The Church has already incited the masses."
"Once your identities are exposed, you’ll face endless pursuit."
It seemed the female Warlocks led by Judy were unwilling to leave.
They possessed astonishing wealth here, and much of that wealth likely came from land, making them reluctant to abandon everything for an unknown distant place.
"The situation in the South is getting more tense."
Lady Inid’s expression showed a hint of sadness as she continued, "I just received news today that Eden Coleman from the Secret Magic Society was captured by the Witch Hunters, tortured, and then burnt to death in the plaza of Kolon."
"We will depart for the City of Freedom in the Northern Continent in five days."
"Consider carefully whether you wish to join us in leaving."
The female Warlocks possessed extraordinary beauty; if they fell into the hands of the Church’s Witch Hunters, it might be slightly better. After all, most of them were fanatics who would only execute these Witches directly. The most dreadful fate was falling into the hands of Witch Hunters from secular powers; over the years, many villains, thieves, and deserters secretly joined the Witch Hunters to earn bounties. Witches who fell into their hands were often tortured and humiliated before execution, but most of the victims were innocent, beautiful women.
Even someone like Van Helsing, who usually stayed out of worldly affairs, truly loathed these Witch Hunters, indicating how heinous their actions had been over the years.
After finishing these words, Lady Inid stood up to leave. Before leaving, she whispered a few words to Alice, then glanced at Su Ziyu across the room and nodded slightly.
"Lady Inid wishes to speak with you privately," Alice said softly as she approached Su Ziyu.
Su Ziyu turned to look at Van Helsing beside him, and upon receiving reassurance that there was no problem, he rose to leave.
Before leaving, he noticed Judy, the female Warlock across from him, staring at him and raised her glass in a distant salutation, her expression seemingly somewhat flattering.
Alice led Su Ziyu to a room.
When he pushed the door open and entered, he saw a tired and languid Lady Inid lying sideways on a soft couch.
"Thank you for lending a hand this time," Lady Inid tilted her head, examining Su Ziyu curiously, "I thought the Cat School Demon Hunters were wiped out in the turmoil back then. I didn’t expect to see a descendant."
Su Ziyu shook his head and sat down, making direct eye contact as he said, "I’m not from the Cat School."
"I’m just a wanderer without a purpose, occasionally taking on tasks to earn money."
In this world, Demon Hunters generally lacked funds because brewing magic potions sometimes cost more than the task’s bounty. Su Ziyu knew how to maintain his current persona.
"Alright then." Lady Inid seemingly didn’t want to dwell on this, meeting Su Ziyu’s gaze and asking, "I’d like to hire you to escort us to the City of Freedom."
"Do you have any interest?"
"Of course."
At this point, Lady Inid smiled meaningfully, "The reward we offer is quite substantial."
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